SpaceX Is Trying to Fly Starship All the Way Around Earth
The flight plan
SpaceX lists Sept. 28, 2026, for Starship Flight 14 from Pad 2 at Starbase in Texas. It will fly in an expended setup.
Expended is a space term for single-use. Nothing comes back. The whole rocket is used up on the one flight.
The flight has a 75-minute launch window opening at 7:15 a.m. CT, according to the mission page SpaceX. The company states the vehicle is preparing to launch as soon as Monday, Sept. 28, pending regulatory approval. Independent coverage lists a NASASpaceflight webcast starting Sept. 28 at 4:15 a.m. EDT (0815 GMT) Space.com.
SpaceX states Flight 14 is the 14th flight of Starship. The company plans it to be the first flight to send Starship into orbit around Earth. Orbit means a full loop around the planet.
Flight 13 lifted off from Starbase, Texas, on July 24, 2026, at 5:51 p.m. CT. Flight 12 lifted off from Starbase, Texas, on May 22, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. CT.
The pattern worth noting is speed. Two flights about two months apart, then another try about two months later, points to steady work on the launch pad and steady supply of rockets.
The hardware
SpaceX refers to the Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket together as Starship. The system is described as a fully reusable orbital launch system Reuters. Flight 14 is listed as expended. Hardware is not recovered.
SpaceX caught the returning Super Heavy booster back at the launch site during a test flight. Chief executive Elon Musk has said the company would fly a bigger, fully reusable version of Starship in 2026. The manifest entry for Sept. 28, 2026 does not specify that larger variant SpaceX launches manifest. It specifies Pad 2 and expended configuration.
All development, manufacturing, testing and launch of Starship takes place at Starbase in Texas. SpaceX describes Starbase as home to its headquarters and as one of the world's first commercial spaceports designed for orbital missions. The company states launches from Starbase will provide access to destinations in Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.
The money question
The broader context here is cost. SpaceX has spent more than $15 billion developing its fully reusable Starship Reuters. An expended orbital attempt writes off a full stack. That buys extra power and simpler rules for a first try at orbit.
Looking at what this means for launch costs, there are two tests. One is reaching orbit and flying in a controlled way. That covers delivering goods to space. The other is bringing hardware back to reuse. Flight 14, as listed, tests the first without proving the second. Flying often shares out the fixed costs at Starbase and brings in data faster, but each throwaway flight uses up steel, engines and labor.
